This invention relates to apparatus for dyeing textiles, especially carpets and pile fabrics, with different colors or tones of color by means of application of dye colors to the topside or pile face continuously conveyed textile fabric.
Styling trends play an important role in the textile industry. Much emphasis has been placed of late on finishing a single color carpet in such a way that although the single color remains the predominant base tone, a liveliness or an optically improved effect is obtained by dissolving the single color within a blend of dyes to achieve differing tones up to a degree of color differences. In such carpets, the appearance of the surface does not appear in regularly recurring designs or patterns. Nor does the carpet styling take on a geometrically defined outline or the like or as repeated portions. Rather, the carpet has a certain unified effect of a randomness which is pleasant to the eye.
Such a type of carpet dyeing process has been commonly designated as "space dyeing". This type of patterning has further achieved significance in other fabrics, as for example decorative fabric materials so that this invention, which is preferably intended for carpets, is not limited to the same.
Various processes and apparatus have been developed to facilitate such space dyeing of textiles. For example, it has been proposed to space dye yarn and use this space dyed yarn to tuft carpets as suggested for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,375, to O'Mahoney et al. Another proposal of space dyeing is known as the "knit-de-knit" process wherein the yarn is knitted into a prefabric, striped or other patterns are applied on the yarn which is then heat set and unravelled to produce a space dyed yarn suitable for use in fabrication of carpet. A typical process of this type is further described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,012,305 and 3,102,322 to Whitaker.
The latter proposals relate to dyeing of the yarn used in tufting carpet. It is likewise known to achieve desirable styling by dyeing piece material. For example, resort has been made to the use of resist materials applied to the surface of the yarn which prevents the tips of the yarn from accepting dye. Such a process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,990 to Freeman.
In this process, the pile face is first treated with a dye and then, while still wet, the upper portions of the pile are treated to a uniform depth with a resist chemical capable of displacing the dye from the upper portions of the pile face. Alternatively, the resist chemical is applied first. In any event, the dye receptivity of the tips are modified by altering the dye sites in the fibers.
The application of resist chemicals produces a desirable frosting or halo effect due to undyed tips, but the appearance of such fabrics can be harsh.
Another proposal has been to apply colors in a spotted fashion by individual dye droplets in equal volume over the undyed surface of the carpet breadth which is continuously transported. The application of the dye droplets is effected according to the random colors or tones to be desired without any repeated pattern or design. Apparatus to effect such dyeing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,271,102 to Morgan.
Still another proposal suggests the use of a viscous gum coating which is applied as a barrier layer on the undyed pile face of the carpet web. As the web is transported, the desired dye is applied by a conventional tak dyeing technique, i.e. the dye is splattered on the barrier layer and forms pools or puddles. Inasmuch as the barrier layers is of relatively high viscosity in the order of 3000 c.p.s., the dye does not penetrate the barrier layer until the carpet is dissolved in a steamer and the dye descends toward the carpet base. Such as proposal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,709 to Sayman et al. This process is referred to in the trade as a gum-tak process.
While each of the foregoing techniques has certain advantages, each also has certain limitations. The most common problems are chevroning or striping which shows up most frequently when using space dyed yarns, bleaching of tips when using resist chemicals and splotching most frequently occuring in tak methods. The gum tak process is intended to overcome splotching due to abruptly changing color patterns, but in order to effect such changes it requires the modification of existing apparatus which in the first instance requires an initial investment of substantial number of dollars. Considering the intial investment and the fact that a continuous dyeing line involves several pieces of equipment, each of which itself is relatively expensive, costly modifications to existing apparatus should obviously be avoided.
Notwithstanding the fact that a particular process and apparatus therefor might be more advantageous to one manufacturer than another or preferred by certain manufacturers over other processes and apparatus, continuous changes in styling trends and ever changing public tastes and demands for color patterns which are away from the ordinary have placed pressure on the industry to develop processes and apparatus capable to varying non-repetitive random color patterns to achieve new and unusual visual effects. It has always been desired to enhance the surface interest and appearance of textile materials to provide increased decorative and esthetic appeal.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to create a textile fabric and particularly a pile fabric having a novel multicolored effect by an improved dyeing process.
It is another principal object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for continuously dyeing textile piece materials to produce a material having unique visual styling qualities not heretofore achieved by known continuous dyeing processes.
Another object of the present invention is to achieve improved color mixing and color blending of dyes in individual face yarns of a textile fabric through a continuous dyeing process.
Another object of the present invention is to create usual styling effects in piece dyed textile materials by application of multiple dye colors to the pile face of a continuously conveyed textile carpet.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved dyeing apparatus for dyeing of textile piece fabrics which facilitates tip dyeing of face yarns with one color and dyeing of the remainder of the face yarns with one or more other colors.
Still another object of the invention provides an improved apparatus for dyeing shag or cut loop styles of carpet, but which can likewise be used on other styles and is readily adapted to employ existing dyeing equipment without change and with obvious economic advantages.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following description.